BACKGROUND: Ghrelin has a protective effect on endothelial cells. Endothelial cell dysfunction is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD remains the leading cause of morbidity in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Acylated ghrelin (A-Ghr) is the functional form of ghrelin, so we hypothesized that A-Ghr is associated with the occurrence of CVD in HD patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in 412 HD patients. The cohort was sub-grouped into low and high A-Ghr groups according to the median A-Ghr level of 4.88 pg/mL. The association between the low/high A-Ghr groups and the incidence of CVD were analyzed. RESULTS: The HD patients in a low A-Ghr group had a greater risk of incidental CVD than those in a high A-Ghr ghrelin. This association remained significant after the adjustment for possible confounding factors, including age, gender, HD duration, BMI, diabetes, albumin, nPCR and Charlson's comorbidity index score. CONCLUSION: It appears that a low serum A-Ghr level is associated with the development of CVD in HD patients.
BACKGROUND:Ghrelin has a protective effect on endothelial cells. Endothelial cell dysfunction is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD remains the leading cause of morbidity in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Acylated ghrelin (A-Ghr) is the functional form of ghrelin, so we hypothesized that A-Ghr is associated with the occurrence of CVD in HDpatients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in 412 HDpatients. The cohort was sub-grouped into low and high A-Ghr groups according to the median A-Ghr level of 4.88 pg/mL. The association between the low/high A-Ghr groups and the incidence of CVD were analyzed. RESULTS: The HDpatients in a low A-Ghr group had a greater risk of incidental CVD than those in a high A-Ghrghrelin. This association remained significant after the adjustment for possible confounding factors, including age, gender, HD duration, BMI, diabetes, albumin, nPCR and Charlson's comorbidity index score. CONCLUSION: It appears that a low serum A-Ghr level is associated with the development of CVD in HDpatients.